


Agony of Parting

by SeraphOfTheGay



Category: Fairy Tail
Genre: Angst, Crying, Gratsu - Freeform, Gray x Natsu - Freeform, Hurt, M/M, Natray - Freeform, Natsu x Gray, Parting, Sadness, departure
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-01-18
Updated: 2016-01-18
Packaged: 2018-05-14 18:08:46
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,820
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5753200
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SeraphOfTheGay/pseuds/SeraphOfTheGay
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Gray's leaving for good, and for a reason only known to him. It only gets harder when Natsu stops him on the way.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Agony of Parting

**Author's Note:**

> Hello! This is just a short OneShot I made recently, I hope you enjoy it! (you might cry or end up being sad though...)

“Gray, where are you going?” Natsu asked, noticing his best friend carrying a suitcase and heading out.

Natsu had just returned from his mission with Lucy and Erza, a successful one to say the least. He was heading home after receiving his share of the reward and happened to run into Gray on the way back.

Gray froze in place, not expecting someone to find him way out here at this hour. It was late at night, the moon was shining brightly in the cloudy sky, and light rain showered from above. 

“I’m, uh, going on a mission,” the ice wizard lied, turning around to face Natsu. He couldn’t let him know where he was really going. 

Because the place he was going was one of no return. 

“A mission? At this hour?” Natsu asked, scratching his head. “Isn’t it a little late?”

Gray let out a sigh of relief, thanking that Natsu was dense enough to not figure out his true motive. “Yeah, well, it doesn’t start till tomorrow. I figured I should get there early since it’s far away.”

“Oh cool! That’s pretty responsible of you. Ha, never saw that one coming,” Natsu smiled, chuckling. 

Gray tightened his grip on the handle of the suitcase. This was the last time he’d get to hear Natsu’s precious laugh. The last time he’d get to see his beautiful smile. The last time he’d ever see him at all. 

Natsu raised an eyebrow after receiving silence as a response. “What’s up, Ice Princess? I was expecting you to say something like, ‘Shut up, Flame Brain!’” 

Ah yes, the nicknames. Gray hadn’t liked any of them, but they were a significant part in his relationship with Natsu. He was sure going to miss being called those as well.

“Hey, are you listening to me?” Natsu pressed, stepping closer to Gray. 

Gray turned around, hiding his eyes underneath his bangs. “I am.”

As Natsu got closer, he could feel a change in the atmosphere. Something didn’t feel right. The way Gray was speaking, his body gestures, everything. It didn’t sit right with him. Something felt off.

“Gray, is everything okay?” Natsu asked softly. It was weird to hear him talk in such a low whisper. It clashed with his usual manner of speaking: loud and rambunctious. 

“I’m..fine..” Gray forced himself to keep his voice steady. He had to be strong. Letting his emotions get the best of him was not the way to go. He’d always been good at hiding them, so why was it so hard now?

“Okay good,” Natsu breathed a sigh of relief. “Hey, can I come on the mission with you?”

Shit. What was he going to say? He’d been keeping up the lie up till now, so he had to keep going. “No, it’s a one-mage-only job. Sorry.”

“We never get any requests like that,” Natsu told him. He knew for sure that something was up now. 

“Oh, whatever I’m going alone so-”

“Don’t lie to me, bastard,” Natsu interrupted, setting a hand on Gray’s shoulder. “If something is wrong, you better tell me.”

“Why the hell would I do that?!” Gray responded, placing his hand on top of Natsu’s and turning around. He gripped Natsu’s hand firmly, not realizing it. “And for the last time, nothing is wrong.”

“Because I’m your best friend. And you’re supposed to tell me everything,” Natsu reminded him, giving him a serious look. “There is something wrong, I can feel it. I’ve known you my whole life. I’m not gonna just stand here and act like everything is okay when it’s not.”

“We’re not best friends anymore,” Gray spit out. He then bit his lip in frustration. Had he really just said that to Natsu’s face?

“What’d you say? Are you trying to piss me off, idiot?!” Natsu yelled, pressing his forehead against Gray’s. “Like hell that’s true!”

“Fine, you want to know the truth?!” Gray shouted, pushing Natsu off of him. He sighed, letting his trembling hand release the suitcase handle. He had planned to leave without telling anyone, but he knew Natsu wouldn’t leave him alone if he didn’t say anything. So much for him not catching on. “I’m leaving. And I’m  _not_  coming back. Ever.”

“W-What? What’s that supposed to mean?” Natsu asked, tilting his head.

_Stop being so cute,_  Gray thought. He shoved the thought to the back of his head. Now wasn’t the time.

“Oi, Gray, you better tell me before I knock your teeth in!” Natsu threatened, grabbing him by the collar. “Where the hell are you leaving to?!”

“Nowhere in particular,” Gray answered, looking away.

“Quit it, Ice Block! This isn’t some sort of joke! You better stay with us or else I’m going to kill you!” Natsu snapped, gripping his collar tighter.

“I’d say ‘give me one good reason to stay,’ but I already know the reasons. I just have better reasons to go.” 

“Whatever reasons you have for going aren’t good enough for me. I could give you a bunch of reasons to stay right now!” 

“You can try, but I’ve already made up my mind.” Gray stared into Natsu’s dark eyes, unable to look away. Why did Natsu care so much about him anyway? Couldn’t he just leave him alone?

“You’re an idiot if you think I’m going to let you go,” Natsu hissed. “Why all of a sudden? Why do you want to leave?”

Gray looked down, finally able to break free from the spell coming from Natsu’s enchanting eyes. “It’s none of your business. You wouldn’t understand even if I did tell you.”

“Then make me understand,” Natsu pleaded. He looked desperate for answers, and Gray couldn’t help but to feel slightly bad deep down inside. “Make me understand so I can help you!”

“I don’t need your help, Natsu,” Gray mumbled, turning his head away. “Trust me, this is for your own good.”

“Nothing is good without you, asshole!” Natsu was incredulous, unable to see anything that was happening right now as reality. 

“Let go of me,” Gray warned, clutching Natsu’s hand again. “Don’t make me hurt you, Dragneel.” 

Natsu was making things worse. There was a reason he was leaving without telling anybody. He had to leave, there was no other choice, and he wanted to avoid telling any of his friends, especially Natsu. He knew they’d try to convince him to stay, and that would give Gray all the more reason to feel bad about the parting.

“SHUT THE HELL UP, GRAY FULLBUSTER!” Natsu seethed. Fire was practically coming out of his body. He was so enraged it was unimaginable. Gray hadn’t seen him this angry since the day Future Lucy was murdered. Him using his full name added to the tension.

Natsu let go of Gray’s jacket, pushing him away. Shadows fell over his eyes, completely getting rid of his happy demeanor from a few minutes ago.

“You can help me by letting me go,” Gray spoke up after a long silence.

“Fine, leave,” Natsu spat, his lip trembling. “It’s not like I need you anyway.”

“Good, because I’m not coming back.” Gray grabbed his suitcase handle and pulled it back up. “And I wouldn’t want you to get upset or miss me.”

“I won’t,” Natsu croaked, his voice dying in his throat. “Like hell I’d miss a bastard like you.”

Gray felt tears burning the corners of his eyes. He couldn’t believe he was leaving Natsu like this. “That’s great. Now I don’t have to feel bad about leaving you behind.”

Natsu clenched his fists in anger. He could’ve knocked Gray out or something like that, but he couldn’t bring himself to. Gray was serious, and he wasn’t Natsu’s property. It wasn’t his right to control his actions, no matter how bad they ended up being.

But that wasn’t going to stop him from not letting his best friend go. Not yet.

Gray took a few steps forward. Natsu didn’t dare move a muscle. It went like that for a couple of seconds. The only sounds during this time were the ones of Gray’s footsteps and the light pitter-patter of the rain.

Gray was at a good distance from Natsu now. He had to hold it in a bit longer. As soon as Natsu was out of sight, he’d let the tears come out. Just as he was about to take another step, he felt someone grab his arm and punch him really hard in the face. 

“Ow! What the hell?!” Gray shrieked, falling to the ground from the intensity of the punch. He held his hand to his bruised cheek and looked up to glare at his attacker. 

It was Natsu. His cheeks were lined with tears. Gray couldn’t believe his eyes. Natsu was crying? Natsu never cried before. Not during any time Gray was with him. He was always the one telling everyone else to stay strong and not cry, but here he was sobbing like a child who lost his balloon.

“N-Natsu? What are you doing?” Gray asked in a hoarse voice. He still had a knot in his throat from the departure.

“Did you really think I was going to let you go that easily?” Natsu asked, shadows still covering his eyes. His voice sounded weaker. Less pride, more sadness.

“No, but I thought you’d understand why,” Gray sighed, rubbing his cheek. 

“I do. But that’s not going to stop me from trying to stop you,” Natsu stated. “I will break off all your limbs and drag your ass back to the guild if that’s what it’s going to take.” 

Gray stood up, brushing himself off. He looked at Natsu’s face. The tears were still pouring out, and he felt uncomfortable by them. “Idiot. Can you please stop crying? You’re seriously making this harder than it has to be.”

“Don’t you give a shit, Gray?! You’re acting like you don’t even care! You’re leaving your family! The people who raised you, the people you grew up with, the people you care about! Do we really mean nothing to you?! Was all this time spent with us just a pastime?! Were you lying to us all this time? I can’t believe it, I won’t! I…I know you felt more than that. We had a connection, Gray. There’s something I felt with you that I haven’t felt with anybody else, so look at me and tell me WHY THE HELL YOU’RE-” Natsu stopped mid-sentence after hearing something he hoped to never hear in his life. 

Gray was crying, letting out all of the tears he’d held inside for so long. He covered his eyes with his hand, trying not to let Natsu see, but it was too obvious.

“Gray…” Natsu’s voice came out in a barely audible whisper. 

“Natsu. Just shut up already,” Gray cried, sniffing. “I do care. O-of course I do. But I…”

“I’m sorry,” Natsu apologized, reaching to grab his hand. He held Gray’s hand close to his chest, where his heart was, and closed his eyes. “I shouldn’t have said all that crap…I know you care more than anybody else. I know your pain, Gray. What it’s like to lose your family…”

“So you finally understand, flame brain,” Gray tried to laugh to ease the mood but it wasn’t easy. 

“I still don’t get why you’re leaving, but if it’s this serious then…” Natsu trailed off, not wanting to finish that sentence. 

The rainfall increased, and the raindrops poured harder onto the asphalt. Natsu and Gray were drenched, but they didn’t mind. All that mattered now was each other.

“I’m so sorry, Natsu. I don’t want to leave you. I really don’t. But it’s just something I have to do.”

“I get it,” Natsu choked back more tears, tightening the grip around Gray’s hand. 

An onlooker wouldn’t have been able to tell that they were crying. The rain had mixed in with their tears, hiding their outward expressions of sadness.

“I want you to have something before you go,” Natsu said, letting go of Gray’s hand. He already missed the warmth radiating from it. 

“What is it?” Gray asked, wiping his tears. 

Natsu removed his scarf, the one given to him by Igneel, and shoved it into Gray’s hands. “Here, take it. So you never forget me.”

“Natsu..I..” Gray stood there, shocked, unable to process what was happening. “This is your prized possession, Natsu! This is the most important thing to you in the whole world! You can’t just give it to me!”

“You’re the most important thing to me, Gray,” Natsu whispered, a slight blush dusting his cheeks. “I want you to take a part of me with you. So you won’t forget.”

“Like hell I’d forget about you…” Gray told him, clutching the scarf. “And..what’d you say before that?”

“Huh?”

“You said I’m..the most important thing to you..”

“That was nothing! I didn’t mean that! You must be hearing things! You suck! I hate you! Perverted Ice Pop!” Natsu tried to brush it off but it wasn’t easy with his flushed cheeks. 

“Crap…I can’t…I can’t leave you like this…” Gray mumbled, looking down. He shoved the scarf back into Natsu’s hands, and they had a mini reverse tug-of-war with who was going to possess the scarf in the end.

It wasn’t until a few minutes later that Gray wrapped the scarf around Natsu’s neck and pulled him in for a kiss.

It was long and sweet, paralleling their parting, and it lasted for about a good five minutes. Natsu was surprised at first but gladly returned the gesture, trying to claim dominance but failed.

“Man, I’ve always wanted to do that,” Gray sighed in content after they parted.

“You what?!” Natsu shrieked, his face now the color of his hair. 

It was a nice feeling, and Gray hated to let it go. It was so unfair. The day he was leaving was the day that he’d finally got to tell his flame-headed idiot how he felt. Or rather,  _show_  how he felt. Life was always cruel to him, so why did he expect a happy ending?

“I wish you didn’t have to go,” Natsu mumbled, looking away. “I want to be with you, Gray. I don’t want to leave you. I don’t want you to leave me.”

“It’s funny how we could’ve lived on together,” Gray said, looking up at the sky. “I would’ve spent every second by your side.”

“You sound so cheesy, jeez get a hold of yourself, ice princess,” Natsu laughed, trying to mask the sadness he felt inside. 

“Hey, shut up Natsu! Don’t make me kiss you again!” Gray threatened, shoving his forehead against Natsu’s. Their noses were touching, and the two of them were blushing at each other.

“I wouldn’t mind if you did,” Natsu smiled, closing his eyes.

“I would, flame brain, but it’s time for me to leave. The longer we stay, the harder it’ll be.” Gray let go of Natsu, clutching his scarf in his hands. Natsu had made him take it and he wasn’t accepting no as an answer.

Natsu’s eyes widened. Sweat dripped from the sides of his face, combining with the rain drops. Was it really time to go already?

Gray grabbed his things and glanced back at Natsu one last time. Natsu’s heart beat violently in his chest. “Don’t leave…Gray…”

“You know I have to.”

Natsu stared at the ground, watching the rain fall. He couldn’t cry. Not now. He needed Gray to see him smile. That was the least he could do. That’s the last thing he wanted Gray to remember.

“I’M GONNA MISS YOU SO MUCH! DON’T FORGET ABOUT ME, BASTARD!” Natsu yelled over the loud rain. He forced himself to smile, hoping Gray would treasure it. He’d have to. It was the last time they’d see each other.

“I’LL NEVER FORGET ABOUT YOU!” Gray assured. “THAT’S PRACTICALLY IMPOSSIBLE YOU IDIOT!”

“Stripper!”

“Fire Hazard!”

“Snowflake!”

“Ashes!”

“Gray..”

“Natsu..”

“Goodbye.”

After Gray’s figure disappeared into the darkness, never to be seen again, Natsu cried his heart out. He fell to his knees, screaming Gray’s name while the rain drenched him, and he didn’t stop until his voice was gone and the tears were fresh out.

Gray did the same thing on the other side. Wherever he ended up. It was unbearable for the both of them.

People cry not because they are weak, but because they have been strong for too long. And in their parting, Natsu and Gray had realized what true pain really felt like. 

It wasn’t the wounds they received after each job. It wasn’t Erza smacking them every time they argued. It wasn’t getting shot with a powerful attack during one of their missions.

True pain was leaving someone you love behind, and not seeing them ever again. Learning that the hard way sure wasn’t a good feeling. Not one bit.


End file.
